Dan Evans and Henry Searle were forced to pause their Wimbledon men's doubles match after just three games when a persistent, piercing noise—later confirmed to be a fire alarm—echoed near Court 15. The all-British pairing, who received a wildcard entry, were trailing 0-3 against the No. 9 seeds Hugo Nys and Edouard Roger-Vasselin when the disturbance occurred.
Match Suspension and Player Reactions
At the changeover, with Evans due to serve, a deafening noise prompted the umpire to contact security. Evans asked, "Can we play?" but the umpire replied, "They're checking what it is... It sounds like an alarm." Security confirmed it was a fire alarm, and officials suspended the match. The umpire told spectators, "Due to the sound coming from the speaker, we will hold the players for a bit until we can continue."
Former British No. 1 Evans spun his racket while waiting. A supervisor later allowed the players to decide, saying, "You guys can all play if you want to, you don't have to stop." The alarm ceased during the fifth game, but Evans was broken to lose the set 6-2 in 30 minutes.
Context and Impact
Evans, retiring after Wimbledon, had partnered with Searle, whom he coaches. The match was his potential farewell, but the interruption added to a difficult start. The pair ultimately lost the first set quickly after the delay.
